Effective e-Sales Copy

by Pavel Lenshin

Selling online is mostly about psychology of people.
Consumer marketing evolves to the extent when right
psychology attitude to the customer plays the crucial role
in the game called product selling. This process like any
other has two opposite effects: positive and negative.

Firstly about positive effect, which is that companies start
to find SOLUTIONS to people's problems and needs more
actively. No need to develop feature that doesn't solve any particular problem of the consumer market. Customer becomes the epicenter of professional marketing activity.

What may be negative with this process? The answer is HYPE! People don't compare products' features any longer, in other words, they don't compare facts, hard cold facts about products/services. They compare professionalism of the copywriters, who have written respective sales copies. The more trustful sale copy sounds, the more beneficial it will seem to potential buyers and, therefore the more chances of closing a sale. Have you noticed any reminder of the quality of the product itself anywhere? Neither do I. That is what I meant by mentioning negative effect.

I truly believe that your business offer is of high quality
and rich on both features and benefits. Below we will
examine the most adequate elements of your sales copy.

Headline

Your headline should point to the biggest advantage or
solution your product offers. It must be catchy and clear.
Some hidden, but understandable meaning may reinforce your headline. If the design of your web-page is not too amateurish, you will have all chances that visitors will read your web-site headline and behave in accordance with psychological effect they got.

Short Description

One, two sentences of the core idea behind your offer. While "surprises" or "pleasant secrets" you may leave for a desert, visitors should have clear understanding of what your offer is. Your one line headline may not be able to explain visitors what your product is all about. On the other hand, if you are web-hosting reseller, there may be no point in the additional description as anyone who wants to put his/her web-site online knows what web-hosting is about.

Sub-headlines

Those who don't have much time or just check your sales copy for "relevancy" will scan your copy by sub-headlines making decision about is your copy worth their time spending. In this regard your sub-headlines should be intriguing and develop the positive image about your offer. With their help you also have an ability to point visitors' attention to some crucial ideas or explain some controversial moments.

Features/Benefits

For me benefits and features are twin-brothers. I don't like much when I am being told about "unbelievable benefits", when I cannot compare the features and make my own judgments. Average customer cannot make right decision basing solely on benefits - it is not hard to write that your offer is the best. To make a picture clear you should also provide visitor with features, to reassure him/her you don't have to hide anything, because your offer is THAT Dang Good! I hope it really is :0). For pleasure reading it is suggested to present them in the form of a bullet list.

Clients' feedback

If your first clients are glad and delighted with your
product, then ask them if they wouldn't mind your putting
their unsolicited feedback online. This tactic may substantially increase the credibility of your offer in potential buyers' opinion.

Analysis

Guide your visitor to the sole and obvious conclusion that
your market offer is a worthy purchase. If your product
doesn't have competitive advantages, then your research and planning on the stage of product development has failed and I would advice to stop promoting that product. It has little or no future at all. The analysis part of your sales letter is important. The buyer should not be "pitched" with your promotional advertising or selling advices, s/he must be presented with objective facts that would help her/him to see the obvious benefits of your offer. While almost all yelling about stressing the benefits not features, product/service benefits are not enough in today's world of marketing. 99.9% of businesses would tell that their market offer is the best in the whole Universe, saves thousands of dollars and months of time. You should prove that it is true with the facts and clear arguments, no marketing fluff. In this way you will much easier gain people's trust in your product.

Action

Ask or even demand for taking an action. The action you want
is a closing a sale itself or having auto-responder course, visitor's sign up may be second satisfactory action. Popular way to do this is to create a limited tme offer, stressing the importance of making a purchase right now! Guide the reader to click on the order link by reminding the product biggest strengths, mentioning an unconditional iron-clad money back guarantee that should waive the remaining doubts and then point to the shortage of time for decision making process. Explain, if needed, the ordering process in details, as it may be disappointing to lose sales due to the buyer confusing caused by your complicated ordering process.

P.S.

Use it as a summary of your sub-headlines. "PostScript" is
also very often scanned for "relevancy". Describe with its
help the main benefits of your offer; repeat the guarantee terms and/or other.

Sales copywriting advices

Identify yourself with your potential buyer. Write your
copy from the customer's point of view. What does s/he want, feel and think? Your copy should be addressed to personality in the clear to your target market way.

Try to be cheerful, positive and optimistic. People are attracted by joy and positive mood. They also want to feel like you, so they associate your positive attitude with your product. At the best your writing style should contain an intrigue, provoke curiosity and excitement.

Don't forget to address to people's emotions. Textbooks
are boring to read because they don't have a bit of author's emotions. Your task is to make your prospect feel the way you do.

Provoke curiosity to read further. Visitors should be kept excited while they read your sales copy. Excitement may play the role of final buying or non-buying verdict.

Refer to losses reader will suffer if s/he turns your
offer down. It is proved that people are afraid of losing
the opportunity. Everyone wants to be with winners, not
losers. You can take advantage of it.

Try to avoid any assumptions about visitors' origin, religious identity etc. Your claim or joke may be faulty interpreted and you will convert "almost a client" to "an irritated visitor". Even if you deliberately want to select some particular group of people, it is better to clearly state from the very beginning.

The final advice is to be honest, even at the sacrifice of the correct marketing strategy. My own viewpoint is that it is better to have 7 sales than 10, but enjoy clear conscious.

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About the Author

Pavel Lenshin is a publisher of NET Business Magazine, professional web-developer and CEO of:
- http://ASBONE.com/ - informational portal and provider of discounted internet services for entrepreneurs, including internet access, web-design and hosting;
- http://InfoAlchemist.com/ - a must-have business library.